Gristmill River Restaurant

Nice if you are a tourist. Food is a little above average. view is where its at. i’d call this place a one and done experience.

Great place to eat and enjoy the views and sounds of New Braunfels. Awesome restaurant to take out of town company to so they can experience the wonderful foods of Texas!

Great food, which does not matter, sit outside and enjoy the best atmosphere in the area. Savannah was a great server!

What’s not to like? A nice warm night, a great outdoor area to walk, sit, unwind and listen to music while you wait. An attentive large staff, good food prepared well, and a great location. The wait will be lengthy and you have to watch the board for your name, there’s no buzzers or loud announcements. But the wait is worth it.

Place is excellent! Service and food were too notch! Love the river, the area! We ordered the onion rings, smoked chicken and chicken fried steak! The best smoked chicken and onion rings. Chicken fried was good as well just all the food was so filling.

Oh em gee so good! This was actually one of my favorite spots we went to while I was visiting my best bud in Texas. She had been here before so she knew it was good. The restaurant and outdoor waiting area is so cute! There are tons of tables inside on various levels as well as tables outside overlooking the river. While we were there I kept telling my friend that the restaurant was just so «TEXAS.» Not a bad thing at all– you just don’t see many places like this in Denver! I loved the change of pace. It’s not about the hustle and bustle here. I bet the owners of this restaurant go home and sip sweet tea out of mason jars on their patio every evening while their chocolate lab lays by them. Isn’t that the Texas stereotype? Haha
I got the Guadalupe chopped steak, which is a steak smothered with cheese, jalepenos (those things were SPICY. I was dying. In a good way lol.), and queso. It was deelish. I had to force myself to not finish the whole thing! It also comes with a side, and I got the fries, actually aren’t normal fries but like chewy potato chips. I liked them a lot!
Big, diverse menu, cute ambience, good service, cool area with shops/​bars– highly recommended!

Made the trip to come here and to be honest I wasn’t absolutely impressed. Yes they were busy but the service was slacking, the hostesses were not that friendly and seemed overwhelmed. I got the tortilla soup and beef tip salad, it was okay but the salad tasted like a burger without he bun. It was subpar. Honestly not really worth the trip. The antique shop was the best thing about the trip.

This is a great place. Their systems for handling a crowd are second-​to-​none.
Nice kids are waiters. Food has always been top notch. I love going to this tourist trap – it’s my first choice of restaurants (and I live in NB).

Over priced. We were seated in a dark corner and when I turned on my phone flashlight a flea jumped into the sugar packs. If you’re Vegetarian or Vegan there is nothing satisfying for you here. The menu is limited and management won’t tweak any dishes for you. I asked the manager if she could accommodate me and she declined. I ordered a side of french fries, a side of steamed veggies and my daughter ordered a burger that does not come with fries, so add on that. For the two of us the bill was $ 29.66. Keep in mind, I did not order an entrée. If you’re in the area and feel like you must eat in Gruene, try the Gruene River Grill instead.

The Gristmill Restaurant in Gruene Texas is a total must. First off its in an old cotten gin from 1878. High wooden beams & old brick walls. What a place!!! Right on the Guadalupe river.
The food is fantastic. We had the bacon wrapped filet & new york strip steak. Right after dinner we went to a real texas honkey tonk next door for live music. Can’t beat that folks. This place rocks.
For those who aren’t aware… Gruene Hall is where John Travolta filmed the movie. «Michael», and where George Strait, Willie Nelson, & most of of the country legends have played. Its famous.

The space itself is incredible. Spacious with high wodden beam cealings and brick and stone walls. The outdoor areas are nice and plentiful. We went during an afternoon and the outside lighting gave the place a magical feeling.
The staff is incredible and friendly, so willing to help and answer any questions.
The food was real good. My wife ordered the Top Sirloin which was cooked perfectly medium and she loved her zuccinni and side salad. My pepper steak was amazing. Savory, wrapped in bacon and peppercorns all over.
We will come back during the day to enjoy the outdoor space.
A must see when in Gruene.

Loved the food and the service here! We started out with their homemade tortilla chips and tomatillo salsa. After that I went with the local favorite, chicken fried chicken and mashed potatoes.
My partner in crime went with the special of the day: chicken poblano which is basically a chicken fried chicken topped with cheese, pico de gallo, and avocado. He thought that the veggies made it healthy… nice try LOL.
The location is fantastic! On one side you have an incredible view of the river with all the greenery and on the other end there is a great outdoor space with a rustic warm feel. If you happen to be in Texas I recommend checking out this little town and most importantly the food here!

I ran a thirteen-​mile race in the city of Gruene, all right
I went back to my hotel room to rest, got clean, all right
Then I wanted to grab a bite…
Almost all of the visitors to Gruene (pronounced Green)
Have a meal at Gristmill, clearly seen, that’s clearly seen
«This restaurant’s so huge!» I loudly said to my wife
This restaurant is larger than life.
My wifey ordered soup: tortilla was the choice she desired
This slightly spicy broth had a homemade flavor that we admired
Best tortilla soup I’ve had in my life!
Seven onion rings came in a «small», from my picture you can see
But the «small» size could feed an entire family
I could only eat two, only one for my wife
These great rings are larger than life.
The raspberry vinaigrette
Smelled strangely, we regret
But the chicken fried chicken meal
Was so good it was surreal!
Mashed potatoes and gravy: I ate bite after bite
Servers Cassidy and Kristen were such a delight
A great post-​race lunch with my son and my wife
At Gristmill, everything’s larger than life.

What a gem! You think you’re just here for the atmosphere but the food is awesome too! We even saw a guy propose to his girlfriend at the table– so sweet!
You wait a while for a table but they have two bars to get a drink while you wait, live music, and lots of things to look at. We had a great table overlooking the river and our server was awesome and made some great recommendations.
The whole town here looked so cute, we can’t wait to come back and do some exploring!

How many of you out there have visited Gruene, and how many of you have visited Gristmill Restaurant while in Gruene? That’s what I thought. I bet 95% of everyone has eaten there at least once. I think it is «the spot» to be at for eating while visiting. There often a wait on special occasion days, but my daughter and I got in as we stepped up to the hostess at the front of the restaurant. It helped that we were willing (actually wanted) to sit outside. There was a nice breeze blowing on a cloudy, cool day. It was great. We sat on a lower outside deck for the first time, and had a nice view of the river below. There were plenty of people sitting both inside and outside.
As usual, the service and food brought about a two thumbs up, A+, happy face dining experience. We got a bowl of Chicken Tortilla soup that was fantastic. There was plenty of chicken, tortillas pieces and the broth was rich with just the right mixture of spice to please every part of our palates. Topping it off with several slices of avocado, well, topped it off. :). For our lunch I got a Beef Tenderloin Sandwich (lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheddar cheese). It comes with what they call their «prime sauce» which I don’t remember the ingredients, but is awesome! I had them give it to me on the side because I wasn’t sure if I would like it. The first dip of the finger in the sauce made that decision for me. Needless to say I ate it all up. The bread was good and the meat was cooked just the way I like. .. medium rare. Would definitely order it again. My daughter ordered the Gristburger which comes with a spicy queso sauce. It did have a little kick to it which was as nice change from the taste of regular cheese. She got an order of their fried which they cut as thin rounds. Some of the pieces were not as crispy as others, but the seasoning was great on each piece I had. We passed on dessert as we were heading for some after lunch coffee following a little more walking around town. Next time in town it would be nice to be seated around one of the fireplaces they have at the restaurant. A warm fire on a cold day. .. . now that would make for a great atmosphere for dining. Can’t wait to return.

We came down to Gruene for the day with my in-​laws and ate lunch here because just about everyone who goes to Greune recommends it.
It was good. The food was solid and our server was really friendly and took good care of us. I definitely wouldn’t rave about this place like some people do. There is not much variety to the menu — southern, fried, and filling. Better run an extra mile or two before lunch! :)
I’m sure we would go back next time we’re in town though.

Beautiful open barn and outdoor seating available, i recommend outdoors to racoons and squirrels can climb up the trees and try to join you as well.
Roasted chicken! seriously the best thing i got next to BBQ in Texas. it was citrusy, spicy, salty, sweet, and juicy. i could not have cooked it any better. AMAZING and a MUST TRY. totally worth the out of the way drive to get here!
Green beans — garlicky and buttery and delicious
Asparagus — lemony and and perfectly grilled
Pumpkin cheesecake — the BEST! JUST DO IT.
Service was friendly by a blonde afraid of birds who gave us very helpful suggestions on what dish and sides to order. Clearly those reccomendations were on point.
i would totally come back again, this place is charming and the food was delicious. I highly recommend it to anyone

A very busy little section of New Braunfels makes parking hard to come by. Bethany and I were dropped off at the street while the guys went to find parking. We walked walked past several other late night spots to be greeting outside of the Gristmill’s front door. Our arrival time was about 9:15 and were told there was an hour wait. With our group on the list, we then wondered into the HUGE waiting area to the left. There is a large blackboard beside the entertainment stage and an outside bar to accommodate the hoard of people waiting to be seated.
The waiting list is a team effort: two girls were constantly writing and erasing and writing names ready to be seated, and four girls were standing ready to seat groups. We saw them parties ranging from 2 people up to 17! With our hour wait we could relax, but if you miss them writing your name on the board — They don’t call out the names — There is no second chance to be seated.
Warsteiner Dunkel was only $ 4 a bottle, and that was definitely the best choice I saw at the outside bar. True to the predicted hour long wait, we were seated at 10:20. This is now 20 minutes past closing time and the restaurant was full and people were still waiting!
Around the table we ordered the following (see pictures):
Chicken fried steak and green beans,
Tomatillo chicken and potato salad,
Bacon wrapped steak with potatoes,
and a burger and fries.
The meals came out in a timely manner, still hot from the kitchen, but with such sloppy presentation!
After a day of no food at the water park, everyone else seemed satisfied with what they ordered — but I was very disappointed. For the price and wait time… I just couldn’t understand why it looked as though something was taken off of my tomatillo chicken plate, and not wiped off or replaced! The chicken was moist, but the tomatillo/​bean sauce wasn’t anything to brag about and the potato salad was very bland. I found myself wishing I had ordered a chicken fried steak like Trevor had (the only plate to look decently prepared and damn I love me some gravy).
I am told the view from the restaurant is breathtaking, but we came after dark so I can’t write anything to back that up. All I could see from our table was the dead things hanging off the walls.

Date of service: Jan 16, 2015
Meal: Lunch, eat in
All Ratings out of 10:
Quality of food: 8
Food to Spend Value: 7
Quality of Service: 7
Overall Rating: 7
Historic Gruene is a really neat spot south of Austin, and the Gristmill in particular is a fun restaurant with a lot of character. I was in the area and hadn’t been in years, so I went for a late lunch.
Since it was early afternoon on a Friday, the restaurant wasn’t too busy, so we were able to get seated outside with a view of the river. We started with the Texas Torpedos, which are deep fried cream cheese stuffed jalapenos, essentially their version of jalapeño poppers. They were quite good and had a great flavor though weren’t very hot or spicy. They also came with ranch dressing for dipping which coupled perfectly.
Lunch itself consisted of their special tortilla soup and Bronze Catfish entrée that came with 1 side, which ultimately decided to be their unique brand of potato salad. The tortilla soup was hearty and had the right amount of spice without being spicy, making it quite flavorful. The catfish was grilled to perfection and was very moist and flavorful. The Cajun spices on it were perfect, as was the tequila butter and lime. The potato salad was quite unique, had a wonderful flavor and was a surprising highlight of the meal.
The service was well attended, the food came out quickly, and the portions were great and matched the prices well. The ability to sit outside on a multi level deck and see the river while you are eating is also a huge plus for the ambiance, though I wouldn’t want to sit outside in the middle of a summer day due to the direct sun. Overall, it was a fantastic experience and one well worth having if you are in the area.

Great food and atmosphere! We tried the two specials they have, the baby backs and chicken. The baby backs are so tender they fell right off the bone and the sauce that accompanies it makes a great pair. The chicken was very moist and a great sear that topped it off!
If it’s a very hot day and you don’t want to be burnt by the sun request to side outside on the back side patio. Big beautiful trees provides great shade for you to enjoy your meal!
Be sure to check out the bar too, very Texan and makes a great photo for your memories! Be sure to try the Gruene Bloody Mary, it has pickled gruene (green :-)) beans! It surely must be 5 o’clock somewhere right?

Im deutschstämmigen Ort Gruene, sollte man unbedingt einen Halt machen. Der Ort besticht durch seine Einzigartigkeit.
Doch nun zur Hauptatraktion dem Gristmill. Ein uhriges Retaurant direkt an der Schlucht zum Guadelupe River. Hier einen Platz im Aussenbereich zu bekommen ist schon wegen der Aussicht genial. Das Personal ist sehr freundlich und zuvorkommend. Für einen kurzen Plausch haben sie immer Zeit, obwohl hier der Bär steppt. Dies mindert aber in keinster Weise den Service dieses Restaurants. Die gesamte Speisekarte, die ziemlich umfangreich ist, ist nur Empfehlenswert.

im idyllischen Gruene in Texas findet man The Gristmill, ein wirklich zu empfehlendes Restaurant, wenn man auf der Durchreise ist. Überhaupt lohnt sich ein Stop in Gruene, ein süßer Ort mit vielen Läden zum stöbern. Die Gristmill on Guadalupe River verwöhnt mit ordentlichen Portionen, einem netten Service und wenn man will, kann man sich natürlich im benachbarten shop noch ein souvenier mitnehmen.